Our project started with a thought that we shared: there is a lot of history and heritage that connects us, in Russia and in the Netherlands. Many people know about Peter the Great, some know about the Hanze trading route, which connects cities like Zutphen and Novgorod and many cities in between. And still few people know that Romanov princess Anna became queen of the Netherlands in the early 19th century. More important, she brought a rich culture to the Netherlands and also integrated successfully into the Dutch culture and influenced it for the better. This makes Anna a role model for cultural exchange.
Nowadays we can still find traces of this exchange, like the Dutch gardens at Gatchina Palace near St-Petersburg, or the shape of Paleis Soestdijk, that resembles Pavlovsk Palace, also near St-Petersburg.
We started to share ideas, visited the related palaces and thought about it how to explore, investigate and communicate about this shared heritage.
From the start we were supported by Dutch Culture and the Shared Heritage Fund and by the Netherlands consulate-general in St-Petersburg. Recently they confirmed that we will be supported financially also. We hope other funds will join too, so we can make this shared heritage accessible and experienced by as many people as possible and make sure a cultural exchange between two befriended countries will be continued. 
